Ready to volunteer for a cause you’re passionate about? Projects that fit your schedule and interests are waiting for you!

HandsOn San Diego is a nonprofit on a mission to make volunteering easier and our communities stronger. Our projects are hand selected to ensure our volunteers have a great experience and truly make a difference.

Community Member

Military

*We ask for a one-time registration donation that helps sustain our technology costs, but we never want the donation to prevent anyone from giving back to their community! Individual and Family memberships can be waived during registration. HandsOn San Diego is fiscally sponsored by Mission Edge San Diego, a 501(c)(3) organization.

**Group/Team membership cannot be waived and cannot be used for companies.

***Court-ordered membership is a fee and cannot be waived.

Please wait...

Check out our ongoing projects!

Volunteers in Porchlight Community Services' pantry will help set up for their drive-thru food distribution, pack grab n' go boxes, and help distribute food into their clients' cars.
Porchlight Community Services rescues food from going to waste and offers healthy options for low-income families with strict food restrictions and allergies that are not usually available at food pantries.
Project Requirements & Important Notes
Attire: Closed-toe shoes and clothes that you don't mind getting dirty.
Physical Requirements: Bending, lifting, carry up to 20lbs. Restroom access is only available via stairs.
About Porchlight Community Services
The mission of the Porchlight Cooperative is to relieve hunger, eliminate waste and increase the self-sufficiency of individuals.

More Than Apples helps rescue food destined for the landfill to fight food insecurity in North County families. At their weekly food distribution, volunteers sort and divide large amounts of food, into individual boxes available to families, for a small donation.
Volunteer tasks will include helping load 2 large trucks with food, sorting through all produce to identify any spoiled product, unloading all cold product indoors, and dividing all the food up into the amount of boxes we (about 170 each week).
Before COVID-19 hit, MTA served about 75 families weekly, now the size of their operation has doubled. They need more hands to get food into the homes that need it.
Project Requirements & Important Notes
Attire: Closed-toe shoes and face masks are required. Wear clothes that can get dirty and sun protection (sunscreen/hat).
Bring: Resusable water bottle
Physical Requirements: Must be able to bend and lift up to 50 pounds. Can NOT be sick or have been around anyone sick in the last 7 days.
Note: Volunteers are not allowed to take photos at this project.
About More Than Apples
More Than Apples serves to reduce hunger/food insecurity and waste by redistributing consumable goods, providing education aimed at reduction of waste and creating a community in which consciousness, courtesy, and communal good are the core tenets.

Help serve the 150 or so men, women, and children living in the building in a year-long recovery program. You will be serving food, not cooking, or cleaning up. Volunteers serve hot meals, salad, bread, and dessert.
The residents at the San Diego Rescue Mission are participating in 12-month long programs to transform their lives and work toward self-sufficiency.
Project Requirements & Important Notes
COVID-19 Guidelines: You will be required to have a mask on and wash your hands before entering the building (at handwashing stations provided). Each volunteer will also undergo a temperature scan and answer a few questions about whether or not you have been near anyone exposed to COVID or have any symptoms.
If you are experiencing ANY of the symptoms associated with COVID-19, please stay home. Everyone in the building is wearing a face mask, sanitation and cleaning policies are being closely followed, and hand sanitizers are everywhere. The Rescue Mission has had no cases of illness in the building and intend to keep it that way.
Attire: Dress in pants, no sleeveless outfits and closed toe shoes are a must! Tying up long hair is recommended, volunteers will be provided with a hairnet.
Religious Observance: Any prayer or religious observance during the project is optional, volunteers are welcome to opt out.
Note: Photos of clients are not allowed. The San Diego Rescue Mission cannot accept donations of home baked treats/outside food. This project may end early depending on the number of residents who attend the meal service.
About the San Diego Rescue Mission
San Diego Rescue Mission is a non-profit homeless shelter and recovery center serving thousands of homeless, hungry, and low income men, women, and children in San Diego since 1955.

Help Words Alive create and curate online content for their Story Station & QuaranTEENS! COVID-19 has drastically changed our day to day lives in a very short period of time. Help their students and families learn to navigate this new normal by creating engaging online content, from writing prompts to read alouds to art projects. Whether we’re quarantined or social distancing, we’re all in this together and our community needs your support more than ever.
By volunteering, you will help families easily find ways to engage their children in reading while schools are practicing distance learning.
Required Skills/Experience: Proficient writing
Desirable Skills/Experience: Teaching/creating activities promoting literacy
About Words Alive
Words Alive provides essential literacy services to underserved students and families. Their mission is to open opportunities for life success by inspiring a commitment to reading.

Computers 2 Kids needs help refurbishing their donated computers so they can be given to students now learning through online classes.
Volunteers will refurbish Lenovo Yoga Laptops and Desktop Computers under the supervision of the IT Staff by cleaning them, completing hardware testing, and activating them for distribution. Volunteers will also be testing and cleaning peripherals (LCD Monitors, Power Adapters, Mice & Keyboards).
Project Requirements & Important Notes
Experience: Computer experience is helpful, but not necessary. They will teach you everything you need to know.
Attire: Wear closed-toe shoes and casual clothes
Physical Requirements: Able to lift 20 lbs.
About Computers 2 Kids
Computers 2 Kids (C2K) believes all children and their families in San Diego, regardless of their economic status, need to be computer literate and have equal access to technology and the crucial educational, occupational, and financial resources that technology can provide to improve their educational options and their futures.

Harvest citrus for families in need! Botanical Community Development Initiatives is in need of two teams of 2-4 people, each team being from the same household if you plan on driving to the groves together (to limit exposure to Covid-19) to pick citrus.
Each team will pick 2 times per month on a Tuesday morning. Please only sign up if you are able to commit to at least two months. By harvesting fruit, you are helping to provide citrus for a weekly Farm to Family Produce delivery to 200 families in Oceanside during the Covid-19 pandemic.
You will meet at Community Roots Farm to gather supplies, then drive to a citrus grove located in North County (the location will vary typically Oceanside/Bonsall/Fallbrook) to pick roughly 600 pounds of citrus which is the equivalent of about 24 reusable grocery bags full. After picking, you will transport the citrus and supplies back to Community Roots Farm.
You will be trained at your first harvest on using the tools, harvest techniques, and when fruit is ripe. After that, you will be able to go on your own.
Project Requirements & Important Notes
Attire: Closed-toe shoes are required. Wear clothing you don't mind getting dirty.
Bring: Sun protection (suncreen and/or hat) and a reusable water bottle
Physical Requirements: Ability to walk on uneven terrain and pick citrus
Waiver: All volunteers will need to complete Botanical Community Development Initiatives' volunteer waiver.
Note: All volunteers must be able to provide their own truck, SUV, van or other vehicle able to carry at least 24 grocery bags full of citrus. Or bring two cars.
About Botanical Community Development Initiatives
Botanical Community Development Initiatives (BCDI) is working to improve lives by connect plants, people, and community. Community Roots Farm is a project of BCDI and is 1-acre urban farm located in an Oceanside neighborhood and grows food with community, for community. The sustainably-grown produce is served in meals to children in local state-funded preschools that are located in low socioeconomic neighborhoods where access to fresh food is lacking.

Big Brothers Big Sisters is always looking for people eager to positively impact a child and improve their community at the same time. In as little as four hours a month, you can give a Little the invaluable gift of your friendship. By simply changing their perspective of what the world can offer, you can literally start changing their life. Play a board game. Make fun crafts. Hit the playground together. Just as your options are unlimited, so is your Little’s potential. Commitment is for one year, connecting with your Little at least twice a month.
Researchers found that after 18 months of spending time with their Bigs, the Little Brothers and Little Sisters, compared to those children not in their program, were:
46% less likely to begin using illegal drugs
52% less likely to skip school
33% less likely to hit someone
They also found that the Littles were more confident of their performance in schoolwork and getting along better with their families.
Big Brothers Big Sisters has waiting Littles throughout the county, mostly in the inland areas. No experience is necessary, bilingual in Spanish is a plus.
About Big Brothers Big Sisters of San Diego County
The Big Brothers Big Sisters Mission is to create and support one-to-one mentoring relationships that ignite the power and promise of youth.

The County of San Diego is looking for volunteers to help weekdays mornings with distributing food boxes to delivery drivers who deliver the food to older adults and residents with disabilities. This project will last as long as funding allows.
Drivers hired by a local nonprofit called "FACT" drop by to pick up food boxes to deliver to older adults and residents with disabilities. The volunteers are the liaison who gives the driver the food boxes that are stored in a trailer. There is a canopy, table, and chairs on site, and volunteers may bring a book, phone, or activity for the downtime between driver pick-ups.
Volunteers will also need to track the number of boxes given out/individuals served each day and report to the project leader via text. There will be 2 volunteers at each shift so breaks can be taken as needed.
The FACT-FOOD program was created by a partnership of several organizations to serve our most vulnerable residents who have been impacted by the fallout from COVID-19. Although this job is fairly easy, it is key component of a program that has served more than 500 vulnerable residents with vital food resources since April 10th.
Project Requirements & Important Notes
Timing: Volunteers are needed 8:00am - 12:00pm weekdays
Minimum Commitment: At least 2 times a week for 4 weeks
Physical Requirements: Must be able to lift at least 10 pounds
About Aging & Independence Services
Aging & Independence Services (AIS) is a program of the San Diego County Health & Human Services Agency. AIS provides services to older adults, people with disabilities and their family members, to help keep clients safely in their homes, promote healthy and vital living, and publicize positive contributions made by older adults and persons with disabilities.

Words Alive receives dozens of book recommendations from their volunteers, teachers, and community partners for titles they think would be a strong fit for their programs. They pride themselves on selecting the most contemporary, diverse, relevant, and engaging texts they can get their hands on for their programs.
That’s where passionate readers, like you, come in! By reading and reviewing titles from their recommendation list, you help them determine which books should be added to their program curriculum and taught in classrooms across San Diego county.
And the best part? You can get started today from the comfort of your favorite reading spot!
How to Get Started:
Sign up here after checking this list to determine which book you're interested in reading.
Read the book!
Fill out this book report form (If you would prefer a paper version, email pageturners@wordsalive.org to request one).
​Repeat the process. Go back to Step 1 to review another book.
About Words Alive
Words Alive provides essential literacy services to underserved students and families. Their mission is to open opportunities for life success by inspiring a commitment to reading.

Kids Reading To Kids is a wonderful way for children to volunteer to help other kids during this time of need! Help bring comfort, normalcy, and story time to children without access to books at home.
When you read to other kids, you are a role model for kids just like you! They will feel your enthusiasm and joy for reading, and they will share it with you as you read. When you’re reading, the most important guideline in reading aloud is to have fun and enjoy yourself! Want to watch an example? Click here!<p"></p">
<p">You can record the story time using the device of your choice (computer, cell phone, tablet). Volunteers can view additional instructions, information on what books you can read, a script to start and wrap up your story time, and a media release form to complete here.</p">
<p">
About Words Alive
</p">
<p">Words Alive provides essential literacy services to underserved students and families. Their mission is to open opportunities for life success by inspiring a commitment to reading.</p">